How much does a food safety director make?

The average food safety director salary in the United States is $69,299. Food safety director salaries typically range between $34,000 and $137,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for food safety directors is $33.32 per hour. Food safety director salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Food safety directors earn the highest average salary in New Hampshire.

Food safety director salary

Q: What state pays Food Safety Directors the most?

New Hampshire pays Food Safety Directors the most in the United States, with an average salary of $106,971 per year, or $51.43 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a food safety director?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a food safety director if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Maine you should be paid close to $106,530 per year.

Average food safety director salary

$69,299

$33.32 hourly rate

Entry-level food safety director salary

$34,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Food Safety Director Salaries

The average salary for a Food Safety Director stands at $69,299 annually, translating to about $33 per hour. This position is vital in various sectors, including manufacturing, retail, and government. Salary can vary based on factors such as experience, location, and the industry in which one is employed.

Highest Paying States

Food Safety Directors in certain states earn significantly more. For instance, states like California and New York often offer higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for food safety expertise. This position not only provides a competitive salary but also offers opportunities for advancement in a growing field.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for Food Safety Directors remains strong, with increasing awareness of food safety regulations and standards. As businesses expand their operations, they seek qualified directors to ensure compliance, making this an excellent career path for those interested in food safety.

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Food safety director salary by:

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Where can a Food Safety Director earn more?

Compare salary by location

124k

104k

84k

64k

44k

24k

Columbus, OH$108,820

Sanford, FL$53,934

Compare salary by company

125k

105k

85k

65k

45k

25k

CyberCoders$112,687

Chick-fil-A$34,555

Food safety director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, SalaryExpert, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a food safety director typically falls between $68,119 and $115,105.

zippia

$69,299yearly

glassdoor[1]

$88,519yearly

comparably[2]

$115,105yearly

Salary.com[3]

$108,199yearly

ZipRecruiter[4]

$68,119yearly

payscale[5]

$94,145yearly

SalaryExpert[6]

$69,920yearly

Average food safety director salary by state

The average food safety director salary in New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average food safety director salary states are Colorado, Arkansas, and Florida.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for food safety directors

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Maine	$106,530	$51.22
2	New York	$102,512	$49.28
3	Pennsylvania	$86,982	$41.82
4	Virginia	$89,354	$42.96
5	Connecticut	$95,097	$45.72
6	Vermont	$96,440	$46.37
7	Rhode Island	$105,518	$50.73
8	New Hampshire	$106,971	$51.43
9	Alaska	$79,518	$38.23
10	Massachusetts	$90,786	$43.65
11	Nevada	$80,461	$38.68
12	Wisconsin	$76,131	$36.60
13	Ohio	$82,992	$39.90
14	West Virginia	$75,723	$36.41
15	Delaware	$87,889	$42.25
16	Washington	$86,970	$41.81
17	Michigan	$72,482	$34.85
18	Tennessee	$70,522	$33.90
19	District of Columbia	$95,800	$46.06
20	California	$89,250	$42.91
21	Alabama	$67,879	$32.63
22	Louisiana	$66,480	$31.96
23	New Jersey	$76,775	$36.91
24	Utah	$81,660	$39.26
25	Iowa	$61,672	$29.65
26	North Carolina	$64,454	$30.99
27	Texas	$68,219	$32.80
28	Kentucky	$60,408	$29.04
29	Illinois	$71,955	$34.59
30	South Carolina	$60,844	$29.25
31	Idaho	$72,188	$34.71
32	Mississippi	$57,650	$27.72
33	Oregon	$68,303	$32.84
34	New Mexico	$66,629	$32.03
35	Wyoming	$61,764	$29.69
36	Missouri	$62,710	$30.15
37	Indiana	$59,175	$28.45
38	Maryland	$72,482	$34.85
39	Montana	$58,306	$28.03
40	Oklahoma	$54,982	$26.43
41	Arkansas	$53,040	$25.50
42	Arizona	$60,294	$28.99
43	South Dakota	$51,876	$24.94
44	Nebraska	$57,567	$27.68
45	Georgia	$51,758	$24.88
46	Florida	$52,675	$25.32
47	North Dakota	$56,348	$27.09
48	Kansas	$51,080	$24.56
49	Minnesota	$54,982	$26.43
50	Colorado	$53,577	$25.76
51	Hawaii	$53,943	$25.93

Top food safety director jobs near you

Highest paying cities for food safety directors

The highest-paying cities for food safety directors are Concord, NH, Albany, NY, and Washington, DC.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Concord, NH	$108,820	$52.32
2	Albany, NY	$106,385	$51.15
3	Washington, DC	$97,124	$46.69
4	Arlington, VA	$92,858	$44.64
5	Los Angeles, CA	$88,178	$42.39
6	Seattle, WA	$87,966	$42.29
7	Milwaukee, WI	$76,591	$36.82
8	Baltimore, MD	$72,845	$35.02
9	Chicago, IL	$72,475	$34.84
10	Temple, TX	$68,445	$32.91
11	Portland, OR	$67,636	$32.52
12	Kansas City, MO	$61,857	$29.74
13	Phoenix, AZ	$60,366	$29.02
14	Sanford, FL	$53,934	$25.93

Food safety director salary details

A food safety director's salary ranges from $34,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $137,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average food safety director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a food safety director's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$137,000	$11,417	$66
75th Percentile	$99,000	$8,250	$48
Average	$69,299	$5,775	$33
25th Percentile	$48,000	$4,000	$23
10th Percentile	$34,000	$2,833	$16

Highest paying food safety director jobs

The highest paying types of food safety directors are director, director of food and beverage, and safety director.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Restaurant Manager	$52,202	$4,350	$25.10	225,340
Catering Manager	$51,962	$4,330	$24.98	88,658
Kitchen Manager	$50,448	$4,204	$24.25	151,781
Shift Manager	$32,110	$2,676	$15.44	335,517
Swing Manager	$38,427	$3,202	$18.47	203,761
Bar Manager	$46,828	$3,902	$22.51	165,633

Top companies hiring food safety directors now:

Which companies pay food safety directors the most?

Food safety director salaries at CyberCoders and Perrigo are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average food safety director salary at companies like PepsiCo and World Wildlife Fund are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	CyberCoders	$112,687	$54.18
2	Perrigo	$104,996	$50.48
3	PepsiCo	$102,040	$49.06
4	World Wildlife Fund	$99,701	$47.93
5	Counterpart International	$94,767	$45.56
6	Dawn Foods Global	$64,427	$30.97
7	Nu Life Products Co	$58,643	$28.19
8	Bunge	$55,781	$26.82
9	Regis	$47,850	$23.00
10	Americorps	$46,691	$22.45
11	Save A Lot	$45,877	$22.06
12	Compass Group USA	$44,412	$21.35
13	The Bryan-College Station Eagle	$42,289	$20.33
14	Bland Farms	$38,746	$18.63
15	Sprouts Farmers Market	$35,181	$16.91
16	Chick-fil-A	$34,555	$16.61

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$78,000$76,400$74,800$73,200$71,600$70,000

MaleFemale

Food Safety Director salary by industry

The average food safety director salary varies across industries:

The average food safety director salary in the media industry is $78,188, the highest of any industry.
The average food safety director salary in the finance industry is $59,516.
Food safety directors in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $44,752, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for food safety directors

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Media	$78,188	$37.59
2	Manufacturing	$59,516	$28.61
3	Health Care	$47,332	$22.76
4	Hospitality	$44,752	$21.52

High paying food safety director jobs

Food safety director salary trends

The average food safety director salary has risen by $10,384 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average food safety director earned $58,915 annually, but today, they earn $69,299 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for food safety directors over the last decade.

Compare food safety director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average food safety director salary over time

Compare food safety director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Food safety director salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2026	$69,300	$33.32	+2.2%
2025	$67,700	$32.57	+2.0%
2024	$66,400	$31.93	+4.1%
2023	$63,700	$30.63	+2.3%
2022	$62,200	$29.92	+4.2%

Recently added food safety director salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
University of Southern California	Director, Food Industry Leadership Program	Los Angeles, CA	06/29/2025	$104,394
Sodexo	Food and Supply Transformation Director	Washington, DC	06/26/2025	$124,100
Aramark	Food & BEV Director-Yosemite Valley Lodge	National City, CA	06/18/2025	$75,000
Aramark	Food & BEV Director-Yosemite Valley Lodge	El Portal, CA	06/18/2025	$75,000
Aramark Corp	Food & BEV Director-Yosemite Valley Lodge	National City, CA	06/16/2025	$75,000
Tjm Property Management	Food & Dining Director, CDM	Clearwater, FL	05/06/2025	$75,000
Hellofresh	Director, Food Safety	Newark, NJ	04/28/2025	$140,000
Kings Dominion	KD 2025F&B Food Safety	Enon, VA	03/31/2025	$33,392
DSJ Global	Director of Food Safety	Poulsbo, WA	03/26/2025	$105,600
Six Flags, Corp	KD 2025F&B Food Safety	Enon, VA	03/25/2025	$33,392

Food safety director salary FAQs

What state pays Food Safety Directors the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a food safety director?

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Updated December 15, 2025

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